How Much Does It Cost To Edit A Book In The Uk

Gary Smailes | 3 November 2025

What affects UK book editing costs

Prices rise and fall for clear reasons. Know the levers before you ask for quotes.

Word count and genre complexity

More words mean more hours. A 60,000‑word romance often takes half the time of a 120,000‑word epic fantasy. Add maps, glossaries, or invented languages and the clock keeps ticking. Historical fiction, academic work, and science-heavy nonfiction require source checks, timelines, and terminology checks. That lifts the workload.

A quick thought experiment:

• Line edit at £25 per 1,000 words
• 60,000 words, around £1,500
• 120,000 words, around £3,000

Same rate, double the length, double the fee. If the longer book also demands research queries, expect extra hours on top.

Trim before you hire. Tighten scenes, merge repetitive beats, remove placeholder text. Fewer words, lower cost.

Manuscript condition

Two drafts of the same length rarely price the same. A clean, self-edited draft moves fast. A raw first draft slows the process.

What helps:

• Read aloud once, mark clunky lines
• Run a spellcheck and fix consistency in names and hyphenation
• Check continuity for ages, dates, and timelines
• Clear placeholder notes before submission

I once quoted two 80,000‑word novels in the same week. One author had run a strong self-edit and a beta read. Fewer queries, smoother prose, lower fee. The other required structural surgery and heavy rephrasing. Higher fee and a longer schedule. Same length, different condition, different cost.

Editing level

Each service targets a different layer of the book, so the scope shifts and so does the price.

• Manuscript assessment gives a diagnostic letter. No line-by-line changes.
• Developmental editing reshapes structure, plot, pacing, and character arcs.
• Line editing tunes rhythm, tone, and clarity at sentence and paragraph level.
• Copyediting enforces grammar, usage, spelling, and consistency with a style sheet.
• Proofreading hunts final typos on designed pages.

Higher layers, more analysis. Lower layers, more mechanical checks. Blended services exist, yet clear boundaries keep quotes honest.

Editor experience

Training and niche knowledge matter. CIEP membership signals professional standards and common UK style references. A romance specialist knows tropes, heat levels, and reader expectations. A crime editor with police procedure expertise spots timeline gaps and legal slips. A medical or academic editor reads references without slowing to decode terminology.

Specialists often charge more because accuracy and speed improve outcomes. Paying for the right brain saves revision cycles later.

Timeline and extras

Speed adds cost. Rush fees often sit around 25 to 50 percent. Short windows compress thinking time and push other work aside.

Extras raise the scope:

• Fact-checking names, dates, quotes, and sources
• Reference and footnote checks against a chosen style
• Sensitivity reads for culture, identity, or lived experience
• Formatting or layout support before proofing
• Extra meetings or coaching sessions

Example: a two‑week line edit on a 90,000‑word novel over late December will likely carry a rush uplift and extra planning calls. A calmer spring slot without extras lands cheaper.

Deliverables and rounds

What you receive influences price. More deliverables, more hours.

Common inclusions:

• Editorial letter with a clear revision plan
• Tracked changes with margin queries
• A custom style sheet covering spelling choices, hyphenation, capitalization, timeline notes, and special terms
• One or two calls to talk through decisions

Rounds matter as well. One developmental pass plus a short revision review costs less than two full passes with scene-by-scene follow-up. A copyedit with a cleanup check prices higher than a single pass. Every round means fresh reading time, mental reorientation, and admin.

To control spend, nail down scope in writing:

• Number of passes
• What lands in the letter
• Length and purpose of calls
• Turnaround windows
• How queries get answered, log or document comments

Clear boundaries protect both sides and keep the invoice predictable.

Quick ways to lower cost without hurting quality

• Cut word count before hiring, aim for genre norms
• Fix easy errors and consistency before handoff
• Provide a clear brief on audience and goals, fewer revisions later
• Choose a realistic timeline, avoid rush fees
• Bundle stages with one provider if a package discount exists

Know these drivers and you negotiate from strength. Right scope, right editor, right timing, fair price.

Typical UK rates by service

Editors price by scope and effort. Most book quotes in the UK use a per 1,000 words rate, which keeps the maths clear. Use the ranges below to frame your budget, then calibrate with a sample edit.

Manuscript assessment

• Typical rate: £5 to £12 per 1,000 words
• 80,000 words: £400 to £960
• You receive a diagnostic letter with strengths, problems, and a plan of attack. No tracked changes.

Good when:

• You want a professional gut check before heavy revision
• You need a roadmap for structure, stakes, or market fit

A quick bit of maths: 90,000 words at £8 per 1,000 comes to £720. If the letter prompts a rewrite, the later edit often lands cheaper and faster because you cut dead wood early.

Developmental editing

• Typical rate: £20 to £50 per 1,000 words
• 80,000 words: £1,600 to £4,000 and up for complex projects or big names
• Deliverables often include margin queries and an editorial letter. Some editors include a short follow-up review of a revised outline or sample chapters.

Focus areas:

• Structure, plot logic, pacing, character arcs, theme, reader promise
• Market positioning and comps

When to choose it:

• You feel lost in the middle
• Beta readers point to saggy sections or confusion
• You want guidance on genre expectations

Reality check: two full passes, plus a revision review, will raise cost and timeline. One deep pass with a strong plan suits many novels.

Line editing

• Typical rate: £15 to £40 per 1,000 words
• 80,000 words: £1,200 to £3,200
• You receive sentence-level edits in tracked changes, plus comments on tone, rhythm, and continuity.

What improves:

• Voice clarity
• Flow and paragraph shape
• Repetition and filler trimmed without dulling style

A mini test if line work suits you: read a page aloud. Trip over three sentences in a row, or mark four repeated words in one paragraph, and line editing will earn its keep.

Copyediting

• Typical rate: £12 to £30 per 1,000 words
• 80,000 words: £960 to £2,400
• You receive corrected grammar and usage, flagged ambiguities, and a style sheet covering spelling choices, hyphenation, numbers, dates, and character names.

Best for:

• A stable draft with story decisions locked
• Authors heading toward design or formatting

Copyediting often exposes small logic knots. Expect queries like, This scene takes place at night, yet the character puts on sunglasses. Those prompts save blushes later.

Proofreading

• Typical rate: £8 to £20 per 1,000 words
• 80,000 words: £640 to £1,600
• Last pass for typos and layout glitches, often on PDFs or proofs. Fixes missing words, mislabelled chapter headers, wonky punctuation, and misnumbered references.

Use it:

• After design, before printing or upload
• When earlier stages are complete

Do not skip this for self-pub. One clean read at the end protects reviews and returns.

Hourly context

Many UK editors reference CIEP minimums in the mid £30s to £40s per hour. Total spend depends on how many words move per hour through a given stage.

Rough ranges, for context only:

• Developmental: 1,000 to 2,000 words per hour when reviewing and annotating
• Line editing: 500 to 1,200 words per hour
• Copyediting: 1,000 to 2,500 words per hour
• Proofreading: 2,000 to 4,000 words per hour on clean proofs

An hourly quote suits wobbly scope. Ask for a cap and a weekly time report.

Fast pricing math you can use

• Take your word count
• Divide by 1,000
• Multiply by the quoted rate per 1,000

Example: 82,500 words at £25 per 1,000 words equals 82.5 times 25, so £2,062.50.

If a project fee arrives instead of a per 1,000 rate, ask which services sit inside the price. Confirm number of passes, length of the editorial letter, style sheet, and call time. Clarity avoids surprise invoices.

What pushes a quote up or down within these ranges

Downward pressure:

• Tight word count near genre norms
• Strong self-edit, clean formatting, consistent style
• A single pass with light extras

Upward pressure:

• Heavy revision requests between passes
• Research checks, footnotes, permissions, or glossaries
• Rush timelines, holidays, or weekend work
• Specialist knowledge, for example medical, legal, academic

Picking the right tier for your stage

• Unsure where problems hide, or early in the process, choose an assessment
• Story needs structural help, choose developmental
• Prose needs smoothing, choose line editing
• Language and consistency need a polish, choose copyediting
• Final safety net before release, choose proofreading

You do not need every stage every time. Many novels follow a pattern, assessment or developmental, then line, then copyedit, then proofread. Nonfiction with references might benefit from a stronger copyedit and reference check.

A sample path with costs

An 80,000 word fantasy novel, clean draft after a self-edit.

• Manuscript assessment at £10 per 1,000, £800
• Developmental edit at £30 per 1,000, one pass with a follow-up call, £2,400
• Line edit at £25 per 1,000, £2,000
• Copyedit at £18 per 1,000, £1,440
• Proofread at £12 per 1,000, £960

Total: £7,600 across several months, often booked in stages. Trim words and tighten before hiring to lower each line.

Use these ranges to anchor your budget, then judge value by fit, clarity, and the quality of the sample edit. A good edit pays off over multiple books.

Pricing models and how quotes are built

Money talk should feel simple. Here is how editors in the UK price book work, what sits inside a quote, and how to check value before you sign.

Per-word or per-1,000 words

Most transparent for books. Price aligns with length and effort.

How to do the maths:

• Take total words.
• Divide by 1,000.
• Multiply by the quoted rate per 1,000.

Example:

• 82,500 words at £25 per 1,000
• 82.5 x 25 = £2,062.50

Strengths:

• Clear budget planning.
• Easy to compare across editors.
• Adjusts neatly if the manuscript shortens during revision.

Watch-outs:

• Scope still matters. Confirm passes, extras, and timeline, or the final invoice drifts.

Per-project

A fixed fee for a defined scope. Usually based on a sample edit, plus a review of genre, complexity, and deliverables.

Good for:

• Multi-stage packages, for example line edit plus copyedit.
• Projects with known complexity, for example heavy worldbuilding or references.

What to confirm in writing:

• Word count used for the quote.
• Number of passes.
• Length of the editorial letter.
• Style sheet included or not.
• Meeting time included or not.
• Turnaround and milestones.

Example package for an 80,000-word novel:

• Line edit, one pass with tracked changes and margin queries.
• Editorial letter, 4 to 6 pages.
• One 45-minute call.
• Price: £2,200, deposit 30 percent, balance on delivery.

Hourly

Useful when scope is fuzzy, for example coaching, partial rewrites, or on-call support during revisions.

How to keep control:

• Ask for an hourly rate, a not-to-exceed cap, and weekly time reports.
• Request an estimate for each task, for example “chapter edit” or “outline review.”

Quick maths:

• 20 hours at £40 per hour = £800.
• If the cap sits at £1,200, work stops or pauses at 30 hours unless you approve more time.

Scope details to lock before work starts

• Level of service: assessment, developmental, line, copyedit, or proofread.
• Number of passes.
• Editorial letter length and format.
• Tracked changes in Word or PDF mark-up.
• Style sheet tailored to the book.
• Reference or footnote checks, if relevant.
• Sensitivity read, if required.
• Meetings or calls included.
• Turnaround, delivery dates, and response time for queries.
• File format and version control, one source-of-truth file.

A five-minute phone or Zoom call before sign-off often saves days later. Use that call to test chemistry and confirm scope in plain language.

Terms to expect

• Deposit: 25 to 50 percent to secure dates.
• Milestone payments for multi-month projects.
• VAT status, where relevant.
• Rush fees for tight timelines, often plus 25 to 50 percent.
• A clear contract, with start and end dates, deliverables, payment terms, late fees, holiday dates, and cancellation or refund clauses.
• File privacy and confidentiality language.

One more line to look for: revision window. Some editors include a brief follow-up review of a redrafted chapter or synopsis within 30 days. If helpful, ask for that in the contract.

Sample edit, 1 to 5 pages

A small test helps both sides. The editor gauges effort. You judge fit and value.

How to read a sample:

• Check whether voice stays intact.
• Look for precise comments, not vague taste notes.
• Notice how queries frame problems and offer choices.
• Compare savings in wordiness or repetition on a single page. Real gains add up across a book.

If two editors price within the same band, samples often break the tie.

A simple way to request a quote

Send a short brief with concrete details. You receive sharper numbers and fewer surprises.

Copy, paste, tweak:

• Word count:
• Genre and audience:
• One-line summary:
• Current stage, for example third draft after beta reads:
• Services required, for example line edit then copyedit:
• Timeline, earliest start and latest finish:
• Extras, for example references, footnotes, or a sensitivity read:
• Budget range, if you wish to share:
• A sample attached, 1,000 to 2,000 words, double spaced:

Expect a reply with availability, a rate per 1,000 words or a project fee, scope notes, and terms. Ask questions until you feel clear. Clarity on paper saves headaches and money.

Budgeting smartly for your manuscript

Editing money works hardest when you point it at the right problem. Spend in the right order, tidy before you pay, and lock scope before you start. Here is a simple way to do that without turning your bank account into a subplot.

Start with triage

Think in stages, not wish lists.

• Assessment. You want a diagnostic letter and a plan. Ideal for a first full draft or a manuscript with big question marks.
• Developmental edit. Structure, character arcs, plot logic, pacing, reader promise. This fixes the reading experience.
• Line edit. Sentence rhythm, clarity, tone, flow. This fixes the voice on the page.
• Copyedit. Grammar, usage, spelling, consistency, a style sheet.
• Proofread. Final scrub on the proof or laid out pages.

A quick rule of thumb:

• If feedback often mentions confusion or sagging pace, fund developmental work first.
• If readers follow the story but trip on clunky lines, fund a line edit.
• If prose sings and structure holds, move to copyedit and proof.

One stage at a time. Buying every service at once often wastes money because each round changes the text.

Polish first to save money

Every hour you remove from the job lowers your bill. A weekend of tidy-up work often shaves hundreds off a quote.

Run a tight self-edit:

• Cut flab. Aim to reduce word count by 5 to 10 percent. Shorter text edits faster.
• Search and fix repeats and filler tics. For example, look for “really,” “very,” “suddenly,” “start to,” “begin to.” Replace or remove.
• Check dialogue tags. Use “said” where needed. Trim adverbs.
• Track names, ages, timelines, and settings on one page. Resolve contradictions now.
• Pick a style baseline. UK authors often follow New Oxford Style Manual. Choose -ise or -ize. Choose single or double quotes. Stay consistent.
• Format cleanly. Double spaced, 12 pt, one font, standard margins, scene breaks marked with a single clear marker. No tabs. No spaces at line starts.
• Turn off fancy styles. Avoid text boxes and manual hyphenation.
• Add a title page with total word count and contact details.

Ask one trusted reader for a single pass. Give a short brief. “Please flag confusion, boredom, or disbelief. No line notes.” Their notes steer your next spend.

Prioritise by publishing path

Your path sets the order of spend.

• Querying agents. Put weight on developmental and line work. You want a strong first fifty pages, a coherent full, and a crisp synopsis. Copyediting helps, yet agents expect to guide revisions. Proofreading waits until you have a deal or you head to self-pub.
• Self-publishing. Plan for the full chain through proofreading. Readers judge on polish as well as story, and retailers surface returns on error-heavy files.

Short on funds and planning to self-pub later. Do an assessment now, revise, then pause. Book copyedit and proof when launch dates are real.

Phase the spend

Break the project into chunks across months. This avoids rush fees and spreads payments.

Example timeline for an 85,000-word novel:

• March. Manuscript assessment. Fee £600. Deposit 30 percent in February. Balance on delivery. Two weeks for revisions after.
• May. Developmental edit. Fee £2,400. Payment split across start and midpoint. Four weeks for editor, four weeks for your rewrite.
• August. Line edit. Fee £1,600. Two to three weeks. One follow-up call included.
• October. Copyedit. Fee £1,400. Ten days for editor. One week for your queries.
• November. Proofread on final proofs. Fee £900. One week.

This is a model, not a mandate. The point is lead time. Early booking keeps prices stable and avoids the 25 to 50 percent rush uplift.

Ask about bundles

Many editors offer paired services at a discount because the style sheet and context carry over.

Example on an 80,000-word book:

• Copyedit at £1,600.
• Proofread at £1,000.
• Total without a bundle £2,600.
• With a 12 percent bundle discount, £2,288.
• Savings £312. Enough for a new cover concept call or a small marketing push.

Confirm the gap between services. Ideally two to four weeks, so neither side forgets decisions and you keep momentum.

Keep scope tight

Scope creep empties wallets. Agree on a clear frame before work starts.

• One source-of-truth file. No parallel versions. No edits in old drafts.
• Fixed number of passes. For example, one full pass plus a short follow-up review of tricky pages within 30 days.
• Define extras. References, footnotes, glossary, timeline checks, fact checks, sensitivity read. Price each one. Decide now.
• Meetings. Set how many, how long, and on which platform. Record major decisions in an email.
• Query rounds. Agree on a single batch of author questions after you review edits. Gather them in one list.
• File format. Word with tracked changes, or PDF with mark-up. Not both.
• Response times. For example, two business days for email replies.

Sample clause to paste into your agreement:

“We will work on a single Word file. One pass with tracked changes. One query round by the author within 14 days of delivery, up to 20 questions. One 45-minute call. Any extra rounds or files quoted at £X per 1,000 words.”

A quick budgeting worksheet

Copy these lines into a note and fill them in.

• Word count and genre:
• Publishing path, querying or self-pub:
• Current stage, for example second draft after beta reads:
• Main problems to fix, structure, voice, surface errors:
• Next service to fund:
• Target date for booking and delivery:
• Self-edit tasks to complete before handover:
• Bundle options to request:
• Max spend for this stage:
• Savings plan, amount to set aside each month:
• Rush risk, dates to avoid:

Approach your book like a project manager with good taste. Spend where the text gains the most. Keep files tidy. Confirm scope on paper. Your future self will thank you, and your readers will not trip on preventable snags.

Comparing quotes and judging value

You do not hire an editor. You hire a result. The numbers matter, but the way an editor works with your pages matters more. Line up three quotes with the same scope, then read what sits between the pounds.

Credentials and fit

Start with proof of expertise, then test vibe.

• CIEP membership. Look for Professional or Advanced grades. That signals training, a code of practice, and ongoing development.
• Genre experience. Crime reads differently from romance. Historical needs timeline and reference sense. Ask for recent projects close to yours.
• Portfolio and samples. Before-and-after pages help, as do links to published books.
• Testimonials you can verify. Names, titles, or links. Short rave quotes with no context do not help.
• Communication style. Clear emails, direct answers, and a sensible plan. You want a partner who explains process in plain English and sets expectations.

A quick email test works well. Send three questions. How many passes. What deliverables. When will the editor start. Notice response speed, tone, and clarity.

Check the deliverables

A strong quote lists what you receive and when.

• Tracked changes on the manuscript. No edits without visibility.
• A style sheet tailored to your book. Spellings, hyphenation choices, numbers, names, timelines, and any house style.
• An editorial letter for developmental or line work. Look for sections on strengths, priority issues, and next steps.
• A set number of queries or a method for handling them. For example, one consolidated round after delivery.
• Meeting time. One call or none. Length and purpose.
• File format and version control. One master file, Word preferred.
• Schedule with start and finish dates. Room for your review time between stages.

If a quote looks thin, ask the editor to list every deliverable and the scope of each. The best replies read like a mini project plan.

Use a sample edit to compare

A short sample tells you more than a website. Send the same 1,000 to 1,500 words to each editor. Choose a tricky scene with dialogue, action, and one descriptive passage.

What to look for:

• Respect for voice. The prose should still sound like you, only clearer. Heavy rewrites that flatten rhythm are a warning sign.
• Specific, teaching notes. “Awk” or “tighten” helps no one. “Cut the filter words in this paragraph. For example, remove ‘he saw’ and move the image forward” helps.
• Consistent reasoning. Comments explain why a change serves pace, viewpoint, or reader expectation.
• Light touch on taste. If an editor dislikes your genre, the notes will aim to turn a thriller into a literary memoir. Hard pass.
• Fixes plus patterns. Top editors solve the local line and name the habit so you stop adding new errors.

Score each sample out of five on voice respect, clarity of comments, and usefulness. Add the scores. Higher total, better fit.

Read the contract like an editor

Numbers without clear terms invite pain.

• Deposit. Commonly 25 to 50 percent to secure dates.
• Payment schedule. Milestones tied to delivery points.
• Scope. Word count, number of passes, letter length, and what falls outside scope.
• Revisions. Whether a short recheck of tricky pages sits inside the fee, and for how long after delivery.
• Cancellation and refunds. How much you lose if the project stops midstream.
• Confidentiality and data handling.
• VAT status and invoice details.
• Rush fees. Often 25 to 50 percent, stated up front.

A clean contract protects both sides and keeps the relationship friendly.

Red flags

Walk away when you see these.

• Rock-bottom pricing far below UK norms.
• Guaranteed bestseller claims or promises of agent representation.
• Refusal to provide a contract.
• No sample, no references, no portfolio.
• Vague timelines and answers that dodge scope questions.
• Rewriting whole passages without comment in the sample, then calling that “editing.”
• Pressure to pay in full before a start date exists.

Price versus value

The lowest quote often costs more over time. Here is a simple way to judge value.

Give each editor a score from 1 to 5 on:

• Expertise, credentials and genre fit.
• Deliverables, clarity and completeness.
• Sample edit quality.
• Process, timeline, and communication.
• Price fairness for the scope.

Multiply the first three scores by two. Those drive outcomes. Add the last two. Highest total wins, even if the fee sits in the middle.

Think return on investment

Editing spends money now to save or earn money later. A few examples.

• Stronger writing attracts better reviews. Better reviews lift conversion and ad performance.
• Clear structure reduces reader drop-off, which supports series read-through.
• Cleaner files reduce refunds and support KU page reads without stalls.
• A style sheet saves money on the next book because decisions travel forward.

Numbers help focus the mind:

• Suppose 5,000 product page views lead to 2 percent conversion. A sharper blurb and opening chapter that move conversion to 3 percent mean 50 extra buyers.
• Price at £2.99 with a £2.09 royalty. That is £104.50 extra on that traffic alone. Repeat that over a year and the edit starts to pay for itself.
• Proofreading that removes an error every two pages will spare one-star reviews. Fewer one-star reviews shorten the uphill climb on future launches.

No editor controls sales. A good one gives your book a better chance to meet readers without friction.

A short email template to standardise quotes

Copy, paste, and fill in the blanks.

Subject: Quote request for [Title], [Word count], [Genre]

Hello [Name],

I am seeking a quote for [service, for example line edit] on an [word count]-word [genre] novel.

Scope I plan to book:

• One full pass with tracked changes.
• An editorial letter of [X] pages.
• A tailored style sheet.
• One query round after delivery and one [length]-minute call.

Sample chapter attached, 1,000 words. Please confirm:

• Fee for the above scope.
• Earliest start date and turnaround.
• Deposit and payment schedule.
• What falls outside this scope.
• A short sample edit on the attached pages.

Thank you,

[Your name]

[Contact details]

Use the same brief with every editor so you compare like with like. Clarity at the start leads to smoother work, fewer surprises, and stronger pages at the end.

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